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vehicle .

The staff at the CPSC has benefited from our efforts .

We made the same offer to the majority staff members of the

Subcommittee . Honda proposed a meeting with Mr . Takeuchi and an

introductory riding course . Unfortunately , we were politely

refused .

Honda and the other industry members have been unfairly

tried in the press based upon incorrect and misleading

information and by statements from uninformed persons .

Yet , we

stand ready to offer our assistance , experience , and knowledge in

a concerted effort to reduce accidents and injuries .

There is much meaningful work to be done .

Mr . BARNARD . Mr . Schmitt . STATEMENT OF MICHAEL J . SCHMITT , YAMAHA MOTOR CORP . ,

U . S . A . Mr . SCHMITT . Thank you and good afternoon . My name is Mike Schmitt and I represent Yamaha Motor Corp . I am going to be very , very brief . We have a written statement for the record . I cer tainly don ' t want to repeat any of the things said by Mr . Glynn , which we , of course , agree with .

Yamaha is a household word . It has been producing fine quality pianos , organs , stereos , but most notably , motorized products - mo torcycles , snowmobiles , generators , and the new ATV .

What is the ATV ? Our written submission goes into great detail on the production and design of that unit . But let me leave you with this , just very briefly . It takes years to design , test , and devel op a new product . These aren ' t nuts and bolts just randomly put together . They represent a high degree of state of the art . They are technologically advanced vehicles . They incorporate any and all practical safety features in them .

What causes ATV accidents ? It is not the product . We have heard this morning the causes . I will list them again : driving on paved roads , alcohol , passengers .

What is going to be done ? I think the key to reducing these acci dents is public awareness . The users out there have to realize the warnings . They shouldn ' t ride these on a paved road . They shouldn ' t drink alcohol and they shouldn ' t carry passengers .

OK , what is the industry doing ? Well , I think our goal is to work with the CPSC to fully understand these causation factors . We then can develop voluntary standards as we are doing now . And once again , public awareness of these dangers are key .

I think the Forest Service has an excellent public relations spokesman in Smokey the Bear . And let me address this to the ATV user . Remember , only you can prevent ATV accidents .

Thank you . [ The prepared statement of Mr . Schmitt follows : ]